My name is Brendan Tyree, I'm a photographer and ex-elite bike racer from Sheffield in
the UK.
I grew up exploring the Peak District on my bike from about the age of 14 and by the
time I was in my late teens I was racing for Great Britain over in Europe.
In my mid 20s though I started to found myself dreaming of far off places I wanted to explore
on my bike rather than races I wanted to win on my bike.
I'm now in my late 30s and still have that same mindset.
It's late November so pretty dark and pretty cold which for me means a lot more time indoors
and a lot more time dreaming of far off places.
Recently I've been working hard to turn one of those old dreams into reality and that's
to ride the length of South America.
I'd start off at the bottom of the world in Chile's extreme south and then I'd ride
north through a constantly changing landscape of glaciers, deserts and salt flats followed
by the high Andean mountains and the Amazon rainforest before finally finishing up on
the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
I've worked out that I can free up 100 days and the total distance of the trip is about
five and a half thousand miles depending on the route so roughly speaking that means
I need to average 55 miles a day to make it.
For the last 12 months I've been working on getting back to my form of fitness and I'm
probably the strongest ever been at the moment in terms of endurance.
I know I can ride around 100 miles a day but that's on tarmac on a road bike.
This trip won't be on a road bike.
I'll be tackling unpaid roads on a heavy all terrain touring bike but even if the weight
and drag factor half the amount I can do at home I should still be able to achieve the
55 miles a day.
Fitness isn't the only factor though.
I'll also be fully dependent on my equipment to keep performing through the constantly
changing environments like the drier to calmer desert and the rainy season improve.
I'll also have to wild camp every night wherever I run out of steam.
This will save me a lot of time and energy but will mean camping in some quite remote
locations.
There are far too many unknown factors in a trip like this so you can never fully plan
for it.
I think the best thing to do is just head to the bottom of the world, start riding north
and see what the road brings.
That's it for this video, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next one.
Thanks for watching.
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going to be. In fact, it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
Traveling solo intensifies everything and gives you time to let your imagination run wild.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
This constant dreamlike state, mixed with the slight worry of running out of water,
for me is the essence of an adventure.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
I could easily be riding on Mars and there's no one around to tell me I'm not.
At 3,650 meters high another alien landscape appeared,
this time in the form of a gigantic salt flat that covers over 4,000 square miles,
drops to minus 10 degrees at night and the only water available is way too salty for my water filter.
Riding across this place is a bit like being on a ship but with the added benefit of kind
water offering four-wheel drivers to keep me hydrated during the crossing.
Night time is the most magical by far but I'm so glad I kept my winter clothing on board through
the desert because as soon as the sun goes down I'm wearing all of it. I'll soon be in the Andes
during its rainy season and then the jungles and colourful cities of Colombia all of which seem
a million miles away from this high plateau of endless salt but I've really found my feet with
this way of travel so I'm looking forward to seeing what's over the many new horizons on the way up
to the Caribbean coast.
Descending for 3,000 meters in the rain through layers and layers of clouds into the jungles of
the Sacred Valley was pretty special to say the least. The welcome sight of hostels and lodgers
also meant I could treat myself to a real bed for the night whilst my stuff dried out and my
battery's charged on all levels.
So
so
After 97 days in the saddle I finally reached the Caribbean coast of Colombia
it's been a lot harder than I could have ever imagined but infinitely more rewarding.
The generosity of the South American people was just humbling. They offered me shelter in their
own homes, food when I'd blown and always massive support when they'd learnt of Magol.
I'll leave with a strong love for South America and even stronger legs.
So
